Sharks News

Bret's Thought of the Day

by
Bret Hedican
/ San Jose Sharks

Thought: When it first starts to rain on a mountain, the rain runs everywhere. But if it continues to rain, the rain will make deeps cuts into the earth where it continues to flow, and those cuts become valleys.

Sitting here in Washington, and reminiscing on all the games I played in this city, the times we spent at the famous hotel The Mayflower, and I can’t tell you what a nice feeling I have right now being able to call this one from the booth. Don’t get me wrong, I miss playing the game, but coming into this building for 10 years within the division (Florida, Carolina) I knew it was going to be a war and had to be ready mentally and physically. You never walked out of this building NOT knowing you played in a hockey game.

With Scott Hannan playing in his 1000th NHL Regular Season game on Tuesday, it also helps me reflect on my 1000 games and knowing how hard that number is to achieve and the level of mental toughness it takes to accomplish. Reading a quote from the head coach Barry Trotz of the Capitals, it speaks to what Scott Hannan has accomplished, and what it takes some nights when your body says no I can’t go out and play tonight because my body can’t do it, but your mind convinces you it can. Trotz speaks on the importance of being mentally strong,

“The bigger lessons form after that was how you responded after some adversity. Your mind says 'I can’t do this,' or ‘It’s going to be too hard, I can’t do this.’ And what you find out is that your mind is lot stronger. Your body is strong, but your mind controls everything. You’ve got to talk yourself through it.”

There were many of nights getting to my 1000 games that I had to talk myself into it, and what I realized after those nights that I went out and played when my body was saying no, is that you can accomplish anything if you put your mind to it. Those tough nights when you go out and play well, makes you realize that your mind is strong, and that sometimes the only thing in your way is your own inability to think positive.

Today’s blog is a great reminder to be positive in what you do every day. Tell yourself positive thoughts, because you deserve it. Not everyone has the ability or the skill to play 1000 games in the NHL, but we all have the ability to accomplish things we didn’t think we could do through the repetition of positive thoughts. The times Scott Hannan said, “I can do this” would dwarf his 1000 games, but that’s what it takes. It’s the belief that you can and the repetition of positive thoughts is what gives us great strength to accomplish great goals.

Thought: Make your thoughts valleys, and let the positive rain fall on you every day!